Selling the Dream

Author Ken Campbell at a recent book-signing at Chapters in Sudbury.PHOTO BY LAUREL MYERS

Sudbury native and longtime senior editor at The Hockey News, Ken Campbell has recently released the book, Selling the Dream: How Hockey Parents and Their Kids are Paying the Price for Our National Obsession.

Campbell, who worked as a journalist in Sudbury for a number of years, was in town recently for a book-signing.

“This book takes a very candid and stark look at the downsides of making so many sacrifices to chase a dream that, in the vast majority of cases, isn’t a realistic one for players,” Campbell said.

“Despite almost insurmountable odds, families are willing to go to almost any length to produce a player capable of playing in the NHL, or major junior, or college hockey, where they can earn back their ‘investment’ in the form of a paid education.”

The book, which covers the detailed stories of 10 different hockey families, includes a Northern Ontario component that is quite familiar for anyone who has followed the game on a local level for the past three to four decades. Minor hockey prodigies Pierre Dupuis (Sudbury) and Mitchell Davis (North Bay) share their memories and the challenges they both faced with expectations that spiraled completely out of control.

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